Background
Skipping breakfast is associated with an increased risk of chronic inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to examine the association between breakfast-eating habits and inflammation, using high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as a marker.
Methods
A total of 4,000 Korean adult males with no history of myocardial infarction, angina, stroke, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, or current smoking were included. Data from the 2016–2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used for analysis. The frequency of breakfast consumption was assessed through a questionnaire item in the dietary survey section asking participants about their weekly breakfast consumption routines over the past year. Participants were categorized into two groups, namely “0–2 breakfasts per week” and “3–7 breakfasts per week”; hs-CRP concentrations were measured through blood tests.
Results
Comparing between the “infrequent breakfast consumption (0–2 breakfasts per week)” and “frequent breakfast consumption (3–7 breakfasts per week)” groups, the mean hs-CRP was found to be significantly higher in the “infrequent breakfast consumption” group, even after adjusting for age, body mass index, physical activity, alcohol consumption, systolic blood pressure, blood pressure medication, fasting blood glucose, and triglycerides (mean hs-CRP: frequent breakfast consumption, 1.36±0.09 mg/L; infrequent breakfast consumption, 1.17±0.05 mg/L; P-value=0.036).
Conclusion
Less frequent breakfast consumption was associated with elevated hs-CRP levels. Further large-scale studies incorporating adjusted measures of daily eating patterns as well as food quality and quantity are required for a deeper understanding of the role of breakfast in the primary prevention of chronic inflammatory diseases.

Citations

• Cumulative circadian disruption factors and metabolic syndrome
  Jungun Lee
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(3): 125.     CrossRef

Background
The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between near work time and depression.
Methods
Data of 1,551 workers aged 19–49 years from the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were examined. The Patient Health Questionaire-9 scores were used to screen for depression. Participants who scored a total of 10 or above, which is suggestive of the presence of depression, were classified as the depression group; the rest were classified as normal. The correlation between daily near work time and depression was analyzed using multivariate logistic analysis after adjusting for other sociodemographic and health behavior-related variables.
Results
Multivariate logistic analysis found that workers with 3 or more hours of near work were more likely to report depression compared to the reference group who had 2 or fewer hours per day of near work (adjusted odds ratio, 2.471; 95% confidence interval, 1.062–5.747).
Conclusion
Longer near work time was associated with depression among South Korea’s workers. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce near work time to prevent depression.

Citations

• Low Vision Rehabilitation and Eye Exercises: A Comprehensive Guide to Tertiary Prevention of Diabetic Retinopathy
  Tibor Rák, Andrea Kovács-Valasek, Etelka Pöstyéni, Róbert Gábriel, Adrienne Csutak
  Life.2025; 15(6): 857.     CrossRef

Background
In spite of its high prevalence and social impact, pain in the elderly has not been managed appropriately. Understanding the multidimensional aspect of pain is crucial in its effective management. Patients with chronic pain are known to be more profoundly affected by psychological and social factors. We, therefore, classified chronic pain patients and especially focused on the relationship between pain and stress. Methods: The subjects were 149 persons older than 60 years attending a certain geriatric college. A survey was peformed employing the Korean version of Geriatric Pain Measure (GPM-K), the Korean Version of Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-K), the Elderly Life Stress Inventory (ELSI), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form-Korea Version (GDSSF-K), and the Revised Chalder's Fatigue Scale (Fatigue). Results: A total of 103 people, who completed both the questionnaires on pain and stress were enrolled. There was a significant correlation between GPM-K and ELSI (ELSI: r=.38, P＜ 0.01). In chronic pain patients, not only ELSI, but also PSS was correlated with GPM-K (ELSI: r=.37, P＜0.01, PSS: r=.25, P=0.04). Conclusion: There was a significant correlation between GPM-K and ELSI in the elderly. In chronic pain patients, it was more closely associated with GPM-K. We, therefore, believe that stress management can be useful in the management of pain, especially in the management of chronic pain patients. (J Korean Acad Fam Med 2008;29: 418-423)

Background
: The burden of cardiac complications during endoscopy are growing due to increasing proportion of elderly in the endoscopy target population. This study was conducted to examine the blood pressure changes before and after the endoscopy and to seek better pre-treatments in minimizing cardiac complications.

Methods : One hundred subjects were chosen by consecutive sampling who visited a general hospital for physical examination. Basal, pre-endoscopic, immediate post-endoscopic blood pressure and blood pressure after 10 and 30 minutes were measured utilizing manual BP cuffs and recorded.

Results : The subjects included 34 hypertensive patients. Twelve subjects were on anti hypertensive medication. In 5 consecutive measurements, significant variations on blood pressure was noted (P＜0.01). Blood pressure kept increasing until immediately after the procedure, followed by a gradual reduction. These changes were observed in both the normotensive and the hypertensive group, but the degree of changes were more pronounced in the hypertrensive group than the normotensive group (P＜0.01). The difference between basal and after procedure was 17.6 mmHg for systolic, 13.5 mmHg for diastolic in the normotensive group. However in the hypertensive group, the difference was 21.4 mmHg for systolic, 14.8 mmHg for diastolic. In comparison of medicated and non-medicated group in the hypertensive patients, the degree of changes were marginally, but significantly lower in the treatment group than in the non-treatment group (systolic P=0.056, diastolic P=0.049).

Conclusion : The stress during endoscopy resulted in blood pressure changes, and the degree of changes was higher in the hypertensive group than the normotensive group. In the hypertensive group, the degree of changes was lower in patients treated with anti hypertensives than the non-treated patients. This sample size, however, was small.